Carsey Perspectives: Bridging Farm and Table: The ‘Harvest to Market’ Innovation

In this perspectives brief, authors Andrew Walters and Edie Allard describe a new online platform, Harvest to Market, that makes it easier for small farmers to sell their products directly to local consumers. Consumers visit the Harvest to Market website and find “markets” in their area. A market in this virtual context is a group of one or more nearby farms that collaborate online under the guidance of a coordinator called a market partner. The market partner, who can be a conscientious consumer, a farmer, a member of a local agricultural organization, or any other engaged individual, creates a web page for the online market using the Harvest to Market website and tools. Harvest to Market currently hosts approximately 23 active online markets throughout Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The website acts as a catalogue of all online markets and individual farms, allowing potential buyers to search for exactly what they are looking for and to support local farms in the process. As it grows, Harvest to Market has the ability to have a transformative impact, encouraging local people to eat local food and encouraging small farmers to keep growing healthy produce. The exchange nurtures the connection between farmer and consumer